Ovum chimes in on Malik's 'GoogleNet'

The offbeat idea (thanks Dan) Om Malik proposed in his Business 2.0 article last week about Google entering the Wi-Fi hotspot market would put a smile on consumers who are tired of paying for public wireless Internet access, and simultaneously bring an end to the revenues companies like T-Mobile, and Cingular get for selling it.

The offbeat idea (thanks Dan) Om Malik proposed in his Business 2.0 article last week about Google entering the Wi-Fi hotspot market would put a smile on consumers who are tired of paying for public wireless Internet access, and simultaneously bring an end to the revenues companies like T-Mobile, and Cingular get for selling it. But as Ovum’s Roger Entner points out, it would take a lot of effort to make it work: "The challenges would be daunting, ranging from running a wireless network, managing a handset portfolio, to distribution and customer service. None of these are areas where Google has a deep understanding yet." Valid concerns, but with the search giant planning to add $4 billion to its coffers in its second stock offering, Google would be in a good position to pull it off.

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